What I Like About Christmas
by Pyro Raptor77
Summary: She's afraid of him, but he likes her. With his sister's help, he should be able to get together with her... right?


I really love Christmas. It's just so… magical. There's the snow, the warm fires, the eggnog, and, of course, the presents, but, best of all, you get to spend lots of time with your family and friends. Let's not forget the parties. I _love_ parties. It's my favorite time of year hands down.

Last year, my best friend Ann and her dad were throwing a Christmas party at the Inn like they do every year and the whole town was invited, and I wouldn't _dream_ of not going. So after I finished with my farm work, the girls in town (with the exception of Mary, who wasn't going for personal reasons that we'll discuss later) met up with me in the spare bedroom of the Inn, where they decided that they were going to dress me up since, apparently, I was too tomboyish to do it myself.

"Why aren't you guys dressing up?" I asked as Popuri once again pulled to hard on my head while she did my hair, making me wince.

"We're going to," Elli supplied as she applied some sort of make-up to my face. "But you never dress up! So that makes this interesting."

"Yeah," agreed Ann from where she was examining a plethora of dresses on one of the other beds. "This way we can hook you up with someone and you won't smell like horse."

"Hey, horses don't smell_ that_ bad…" I began, only to be cut off from a sharp tug from Popuri. At least she hadn't decided to prod at me with the scalding-hot curling iron she wielded in her other hand…

"Yes they do! They smell worse than the chickens!" she said. I opened my mouth to protest, but Karen cut me off.

"Anyway," she said, "Gray's going to be there." The girls beamed at me expectantly.

"He goes to parties?" I said, trying to hide my distress.

"Well how's he supposed to get any sleep with a party going on downstairs?" Ann said, rolling her eyes, doing her best impersonation of Gray. The other girls laughed and I looked at her questioningly. "He always says that." She explained. I nodded.

"We all know that you like him," Karen teased. I tried to glare at her but Elli shouted at me to hold still. "And he totally has a thing for you." The girls giggled at my look of absolute shock.

"He does not! He hates me! And besides, I'm afraid of him, remember?" I sighed. It was true; I was terrified of Gray. When I first met him, I'd walked in on him and his grandfather in the blacksmith's shop where they worked having an argument and he'd turned to me and blew up in my face. I wish I could say I yelled back at him, but I was a big chicken at heart and a huge pushover, and I'd bolted as fast as I could. After all, the young man was really intimidating when he was angry, and he looked like he would pound your face in (that's how he looked at his grandfather, anyway). Not to mention that he looked angry all the time, and, due to some traumatic experiences when I was younger, I just couldn't get over my apparently irrational fear of him. These girls just couldn't understand that though. As a matter of fact, these girls, especially Ann, all tried to get me and Gray in the same room and have civil conversation with each other. I had to hand it to Gray, he did always try, but I would inevitably get on his nerves by displaying signs of my fear. Go figure that the intimidating, often grouchy blacksmith was irritated that people were afraid of him.

He _did_ apologize for yelling at me, though…

"Oh, pshaw," Ann said, holding up a shiny blue dress. "There's no reason to be afraid of him. He's all bark and no bite."

"How would you know?" I asked irritably.

"He's my brother," she replied, looking at me incredulously.

"Oh yeah," I muttered as the other girls laughed. I tended to forget that point a lot, especially since Ann and Gray were complete opposites. Ann was happy and sociable; Gray was grumpy and introverted. I don't even know how they didn't annoy each other to death.

"Trust me, you aren't afraid of him," Karen said. I looked at her quizzically. "You're just confused by your emotions. You are actually in love with him, understand? And besides, you would look so cute together!"

"What about Mary?" I asked. Mary, the shy librarian of Mineral Town, was completely in love with Gray (Goddess knows why), but I wasn't really friends with her. I guess we were too alike to get along, if you know what I'm saying. The only reason I brought her up was for a last attempt to get them to stop… whatever it was that they were trying to do.

"What about her?" Karen scoffed from the last of the three beds, where she was examining multiple jewelry boxes. "We all know what happened last year." There was an awkward lull in conversation as the girls thought about their last attempt to hook someone up with the blacksmith, which was undoubtedly a failure.

In case you couldn't tell, the girls in Mineral Town liked trying to play matchmaker. Last year, they'd tried to get Mary and Gray together by pinning them under mistletoe. Gray had blatantly refused to kiss her and had stormed away, crushing poor Mary's heart and causing her to leave crying, and this was why she wasn't coming this year. As a matter of fact, Mary and Gray hadn't really talked since the incident, as far as anyone knew.

"Well," Elli started, breaking the silence, standing. "I'm finished!"

"Me too!" Popuri exclaimed. "Where's the hairspray?" She ran off into the bathroom to find it while Ann examined two dresses, one the blue one from earlier and the other a pretty red halter dress. Popuri ran back into the room and sprayed my head with what I thought had to be way too much hairspray while I covered my face, coughing at the nasty smell of the offending spray.

"Wow, nice job, girls!" Ann said in a cheerleader-like manner. "Here, this should fit you." She threw the red dress down and walked over with the blue one as I stood. I took it from her and looked it over. The top looked like it would fit snugly with a band around the waistline, and it had pretty swirling patterns in the fabric of the same color. It had capped sleeves and a little lace around the neckline, but it was subtle so I decided not to complain about it. The bottom was really flowy, and it ended in a sloping length with the left higher than the right. It seemed to be a few layers of fabric; the top ones were see-through and the bottom layer was solid. The color was a sapphire that matched my eyes. Satisfied, I smiled at the girls and went to the bathroom to change.

When I returned to the room, the other girls had already changed and were starting to do their hair and make-up.

"How do I look?" I asked nervously, feeling very, _very _uncomfortable in my fancy getup. The girls looked up at me and practically froze in place.

"You look AMAZING!" Ann yelled finally. The other girls expressed agreement and they swarmed me, giving me a huge group hug.

"Hey, watch the hair!" Popuri yelled over all the commotion. I was thankful she did, because they all backed off immediately. I gave her a grateful smile and she beamed at me. I had to hand it to her, she may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but she sure was an artist when it came to doing hair. My long blonde hair was in an impossibly high ponytail, and rained down my shoulders in golden curls. Elli did pretty well with the make-up herself; it was simple, so I didn't feel overdone, but elegant. All the others were finishing up, except for Karen, who approached me with some jewelry. I didn't even get the chance to protest before she snapped a necklace around my neck and I felt the pressure of metal going through my ears. It hurt a bit, seeing as I hadn't worn earrings in the longest time, but Karen seemed unfazed by my wincing.

"There," she said as she walked away, her emerald green dress swaying with her hips as she went over to the mirror to finish her make-up. I walked back over to the bed I had been sitting on to resume my position and Ann approached me, shoving some small heels into my arms.

"Here. You might want to get used to walking in them," she said, beaming. "I wouldn't want you to kill yourself." I gulped and looked down at the sleek black heels, thankful that they weren't too exceedingly high and I dropped them on the ground so I could slide my feet into them. They were surprisingly comfortable, but it did take a minute for me to get used to walking in them.

"Is everybody ready?" Popuri yelled after a few minutes. "We don't want to be late!" All the girls agreed and started to rush out the door as fast as they could in their heels. Popuri was practically a blur as she walked past, her dress the same color as her pink hair, which she'd put up in a bun. Elli didn't look too dressy; only a light blue dress similar to mine and small heels, but there wasn't too much she could do with her short brown hair. Karen didn't seem to care that much because she left her hair down and wore flip-flops. Ann had a high ponytail in place of her long red braid and the red dress that she'd been holding earlier, some shiny red flats adorning her feet. I followed them out, shutting the door behind me and making my way carefully down the stairs.

Doug had apparently already started the party without us, because music was playing and people were already there. Decorations were at a minimum, actually, with a small Christmas tree in the corner and banners decorating the tables, poinsettias used as centerpieces. The guys all stared at me, and Rick even asked if he knew me, earning a whack from Karen as she screamed "That's Claire, you idiot!" I couldn't help but laugh, though Rick's astounded face caused me to stop and avert my eyes. I think the only reason he wasn't ogling me was because Karen would've given him another good whack, and for that I was grateful. Being ogled at wasn't my thing.

Soon everyone was on the dance floor, dancing to upbeat rock songs under the disco lights while I stared at the lights in wonder. Where had Doug gotten disco lights, anyway? Had they always been there and I hadn't noticed? And what about that huge disco ball?

"Are you gonna stand there all night looking at the lights or are you gonna dance?" Ann shouted at me over the music, appearing out of nowhere and causing me to jump and almost fall over in my heels. She laughed and, before I could answer, dragged me out onto the dance floor. We danced like complete idiots, actually, pretending we were from the eighties. I suppose the disco lights were too much for us. There were a few slow songs, all of which I sat out on and awkwardly watched the couples dance. Talk about feeling like a third wheel.

It was during one of these times late in the evening (ok, so it was the next morning by now) that I left to use the bathroom. When I returned, the music was off and everyone was at the bar, ordering drinks from Doug, who looked incredibly tired, and talking loudly. I approached the bar, but I couldn't find any seats. No one seemed to notice me, probably because they were all a little tipsy, to say the least, as I walked down the entire length of the bar. Finally I spotted an open barstool, and I thought I'd be glad to sit down and rest my tired feet, but then I saw who was sitting in the seat next to it.

Yes, it was Gray. What a coincidence, right? My heart immediately sped up and caught in my throat at the same time and I froze in place, my legs refusing to move like I wanted them to and my stomach tied itself in knots. Looking over at Ann, who was now behind the bar helping her dad with drinks, I saw that she was smirking in my general direction. When she saw me look at her she immediately looked away, but it was all I needed to confirm that she was definitely behind this.

"You can sit there, you know. I don't bite," a gruff voice said almost too quietly for me to hear. I nearly jumped when I heard it and looked in its direction to see Gray, though I couldn't see his face due to his faded blue UMA hat. I blushed and nodded as I realized I must've been standing there for a while now. I gulped and sat down, not wanting to be rude.

"So, uh…" I started uncomfortably. "You have fun tonight?"

"Not really," he said with a grunt. "I hate parties." Predictable.

"Oh." There was an awkward lull in conversation for a moment before he continued.

"You… er… you look good tonight." The compliment startled me a bit and I looked at him quizzically, only to be met by the brim of his hat.

"Um… thanks?" I replied. He had to be saying it just to be nice. He hated me! We barely said anything to each other when we passed in the street. As a matter of fact, I always passed him on the complete opposite side, as far away from him as I could get, even though he always made the effort to say hi when I passed. I shifted uneasily and shot Ann a pleading look. My spirits rose as she walked over to me, and I thought she was actually going to find some excuse to take me out of this conversation.

Psh. Like that would ever happen.

"Can I get you anything?" Ann asked cheerily. She looked at Gray, not wanting to be victim to my puppy dog face, I suppose. With a sigh of defeat, I nodded.

"I'd like some eggnog, please. Hold the alcohol," I replied. Gray just grunted. She smiled even bigger and walked into the kitchen, and, even though I would've taken Gray's reaction as a no, she brought back two glasses. I said thank you for my eggnog and she handed Gray a glass of what looked like carbonated water. Ugh, I hated carbonated water.

"How can you drink that stuff?" I asked without thinking. Realizing what I'd said, I clamped my hand over my mouth and slouched in my seat, my eyes widening in fear, and I just knew that he was going to yell at me. He was going to tell me it was none of my business what he drank and-

"Its strawberry flavored," he said with a shrug. Then I think he glanced over at me, because a scowl formed on his thin lips. "Dammit, Claire! Why are you afraid of me?" I flinched at his tone, which only seemed to make him madder. He tilted his head up a little bit, and underneath the brim of his hat I could see his eyes for what I thought was the first time, which were a striking blue. My breath caught in my throat as I realized that he was actually gorgeous under there (the hat, that is). I was also nearly overwhelmed with guilt as I saw the hurt and confusion written on his face, and I shifted in my seat as a blush spread across my face.

"W-well, I-" I stammered, only to be interrupted by Ann clearing her throat from the other side of the bar. I looked over at her to see that she was staring up at the ceiling while drying a glass. I followed her gaze and nearly fell off the barstool when I saw what she was staring at.

Mistletoe.

Right over Gray and me.

I looked down at Gray, who was having a bit of trouble seeing what it was that Ann was looking at with his hat on. I might've laughed, had the situation been different, watching Gray leaning precariously, trying to see around his beloved hat. Why didn't he just take it off, anyway? He was much cuter without it- wait, I didn't just think that.

He finally looked back at me, blushing, apparently having seen the offending mistletoe. I waited anxiously for him to start yelling at his sister and storm off like he had last year with Mary. I swear the entire bar was watching us and there was complete silence as I stared at him, red faced and petrified, unable to move. I swear my heart was beating loud enough for the whole place to hear it. Gray glanced down at his hands and back up at me again. What was going on here? Why wasn't there any yelling or cursing or stomping? Then he rotated in his chair and stood up. Alright, he's about to go to his room now. My stomach settled back in to its rightful place and I let out a breath I'd been holding, closing my eyes and trying to will the nauseous feeling away. Everything was going to be ok; he was going to leave.

My eyes shot back open as I felt something warm press up against my lips. He was actually kissing me! His eyes were squeezed tightly shut and I leaned a bit from the pressure, but soon found myself pushing back against him. What was I doing? Had the world gone mad? Why wouldn't my body listen to me? _Why was I kissing him back?_ Or, more importantly, why was _he_ kissing _me?_ He hated me, didn't he? My eyelids started to slide slowly closed, but not before I saw Gray open his a little, apparently confused. He pulled away quickly, fidgeting in place apologetically. The bar was completely silent, and everyone, including Gray, watched me for a reaction. I searched my mind for a moment for an appropriate one.

It dawned on me that Gray, when we were thrown together by certain girls in town, would always try to talk to me because he was in on it. Because he actually _liked_ me. Because he wanted to get to know me. That was the only reason why he didn't just ignore me, like he did to so many other people, and why he always got angry at the fact that I was afraid of him, and probably why he went out of his way to deliver anything I'd brought to him for repairs. I had judged the poor guy, and, now that I thought about it, Karen might've been right. Maybe it wasn't _all_ fear that I felt around him; maybe I'd liked him all along and interpreted it the wrong way. I hadn't even given him a chance.

Well that was one mistake I was about to fix.

I took a deep breath and stood up, noticing that even with my heels on I wasn't nearly as tall as Gray was. Before anyone could do anything, I was up on the balls of my feet, kissing Gray again, resting my hands on his shoulders for balance. It was his turn for his eyes to widen, and he blushed profusely at this new development. After a moment he relaxed, tentatively placing his hands on my waist and leaning down so I wouldn't have to stand on tip-toe. The whole bar erupted into cheers, whoops and hollers, and I chuckled even as we continued kissing. After what felt like an eternity, I broke off.

"Sorry," I said lamely, referring to a lot of things at once. He shrugged.

"You can't help how you feel," he replied, pulling his hat down over his eyes to hide his blush, but that didn't really work with me considering how short I was. I couldn't help but stare at him, going over the smooth lines of his face and trying to burn them into my memory.

"If you don't mind…" He trailed off and I looked at him quizzically for a moment before he gave me a small smile and he pecked me on the cheek, causing my face to burn, and then walked away. I stared after him, confused, then looked at Ann, who was laughing incredibly hard at me, then looked back at his form disappearing up the stairs.

"See, I told you!" Karen said, appearing out of nowhere and slapping me on the shoulder.

"What the heck just happened?!" I screamed.

"You just fell in love," Karen said, making kissy faces and swooning. I gawked at her incredulously.

Ann leaned on the other side of the bar to join in the conversation, wiping a tear from her eye. I glared at her for laughing at me, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Don't worry about him," Ann said. "He's just got to give his brain some time to absorb everything." She started laughing again. Elli approached us.

"Congratulations! That was so cute!" she said. I looked at her with my mouth slightly agape.

"Claire and Gray, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!" Popuri sang as she jumped into our little group. Then they all started talking at once and I sighed.

_Oh well,_ I thought. _Just another thing to like about Christmas._

---

**Author's Note: **Sorry it's a day late, and excuse the corniness, please. XD


End file.
